Montebello, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by Montebello Land & Water Co., plus 2 other utilities. Here's what the water means for your fish.
Disinfectant
Chlorine
Your water is treated with chlorine. It slowly gases off from standing water, and any water conditioner removes it.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Nitrite (NO₂)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From California Water Board lab results (2025).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Up to 32 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 11 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Copper at home taps
0.13–0.48 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 0.2 ppm
Shrimp and snails are sensitive to copper. Water that sits in household pipes picks up the most; it drops once the tap has run for a minute.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
112–287 ppm
Typical 197 ppm
Moderately hard. Great for livebearers, and most community fish adapt.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
110–220 ppm
Typical 175 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
pH
6.4–7.9
Typical 7.4
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Total dissolved solids
220–520 ppm
Typical 375 ppm
A rough measure of everything dissolved in the water. RO water reads near 0, so TDS is a quick way to compare waters.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Who supplies Montebello, CA
Montebello Land & Water Co.
Serves 41% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
South Montebello Irrigation Dist.
Serves 25% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
San Gabriel Valley Water Co.-El Monte
Serves 14% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Our data comes from public records and is still incomplete. Many utilities don't publish every number, so we're adding more all the time. Your city's range is a starting point: testing your own tap is the only way to know exactly what's in it.
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Compiled by Shoal & Stem from public records. Free to cite with a link.